Closure for railroad car hopper discharge chutes



H. A. WlTHA LL June 20, 1950 CLOSURE FOR RAILROAD CAR HOPPER DISCHARGE CHUTES Filed April 8, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l n mn# M ma.. 0 V10, 7 mum N Wl@ H.

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June 20,l 1950 H, A, WITHALL 2,512,451

CLOSURE FOR RAILROAD CR HOPPER DISCHARGE CHU'I'ES Filed April 8, 1948 2 .Sheets-Sheet 2 I 39 5 v *6"* 39 F19' 6 INVENTOR.

Har/*5 I9. Huf/7d ATTORNEY .means shown in Figure 4;

Patented June 20, 1950 CLOSURZE FORRAILROA CAR HOPPER fDIS'CHARGE CHU'I'ES y:Harry A. Withall'yehicago, Ill'.`,',assignor. tofEnterv .prise Railway Equipment'. Company, Chicagm,

`Ill'., a. .corporation of Illinois Application' AprlzS, 1948', SerallLNU. .19.1806

i1 This invention relatesto car hopper `discharge closures, .more particularly .to .a construction wherein a olosureis employed which normally closesa discharge opening, and, when shifted, opens. the dischargeopening, .and `permits the lading to pass therethrough. An example ofa .car having this type of hopper and closure is shown in CampbellPatent No. 2,072,292, issued March 2, 1937.

In Vrailyway cars of the type mentioned, whe the lading is of a iine powdered character, itfrequently packs intor a compact .mass which results in bridgingand failure .to pass through `thedischarge opening, even'though the hopper closure is.ffully opened. Under these circumstances it becomes necessary to poke a Ahole inthe corn-- lpacted lading, or Votherwise loosen the same, to start its flow, a procedure which difficult and inconvenient because of the limited. space available for `such operations.

An object lof the present invention, therefore,

`is to provide means, actuable vbymovensientof the closure, which are designed tobreak andvv agitate the packed and :bridgedportions of the lading adjacent to the discharge opening, and start'the flow freely through theopening.

Another object of the invention is to provide a `construction .of this characterwherein a sliding closure for the discharge opening .equipped with plow means which project above.and move with, the closure,- :and are designed so as to pass intothe compacted lading :and break. up :and pull down the lading. Thus, when the closure v iis Vopened free flow through the discharge opening 4 claims. (C1. 1115+282).

sspondiing-:substantially tothe line S---lv of Figure Figure'l isa-horizontal sectional view correspondingsubstantially to the line 1--1 of Figure `5.

Y My improved construction is applied to a hopper car of thetype shown in .thefCampbell rPatent.2,072,292 referredto above. This hopper car has a plurality of hoppers, :each of which mayl have associated therewith a constructionem- .bodyingfthesubject matter of the invention. The portion vof the ear .shown in .the drawings includes a hopper having an inner vertical wall -l (Figures 1 and 2)., and anouter, ydownwardly andinwardly .sloping wall, notshown, together with opposite-lysloping plates orv walls Il and .12, which .slopel in a directionlengthwise of the .car. The `vwa1lsl-ll, the outer wall, .notshowmand the walls Il and l2 definethe hopper -.open atv the bottom/as indicated at. I3. At thelower portion ofthe hopper there is provided a frame I4 having an upwardly extending Wall 1:5 which overlies and conforms lto, the shape of the hopper and. is riveted thereto,.as -byirivets I6. The frame I4 .is preferably in the formof a casting, and below the yattaching Wall i5, A,the casting is formed at op- .Figure 2 yis an enlarged sectionalfviewrsim-ilar to Figure 1, showing theV closure moving-in an opening-direction, and the plow .means loosening the compacted .lading-for passage-through the ydischarge opening; Y

Figure Sis a broken top plan view of the .closure showing the plow means .imposition thereon;

.Figure 4 is an enlarged detailedtop plan view of oneoffthe plow means;

Figure 5fis aside.elevationalview-ofthe plow Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view, correposite sideswith horizontal,.longitudinallsr extending chan-nelsor grooves indicated at. 'l,.in which is fslideabl-y carried agate` orclosure I8, the

latter being adapted for sliding movement lengthwise of lthe'car .to controlthe discharge yoai-lading .from the hopper. z

.The gate `or Aclosure I8, which is preferablyin the form of a. casting, is mounted for sliding movement in the channels l1, and -is -zofsuch length, whenclosed, as :to provide an. extended .portion-..l9.which .extends through va slotted opening..20being .disposed horizcntallyuin line ywith.-thebottom.deining walls ofthe grooves Il. .Above -the.,slotted. opening l20, .the l'frame Mds formed with-an angularlyzshaped recess 22, de-

fined hy-a horizontally disposed flange 23 and the The teeth 28 are adapted to mesh with pinions;`v indicated at 29, carried on a shaf1;.30 extending y from side to side of the frame I4, and rotatably mounted in bearings indicated at 3,'1. The bearings 3| are carried by walls 32, formed integrally with the frame I4, and extending rearwardly be.-

yond the frame. The walls 32 overhang the frame proper and constitute means forsupporting' guid-V 4 reduced to present a leading or cutting edge 46 inwardly toward the body of the closure I8. The blade 42, for a portion starting adjacent to the point 45 and extending an appreciable distance along the trailing edge 44, and in conformity with the curvature thereof, is laterally extended to form wings 41, which in plan, as viewed in Figure '4, l'c'iiv'erge'- along curved lines, asl'indicated at 48, from the Apoint 45 toward'a portion of ymaximum width, as indicated at 49, and then converge along curved lines, as indicated at 58, until cut ofi. and

:merged with the blade, as at 5|, the outer lateral contour of the wings 4l being rounded as at 52, theedges 53 of the wings being rounded, and the under'fsurfaces 54of the wings 53 being curved,

4 all to the end that the plow 38 is formed to enter the lading at the most efficient angles and with a ininimum of effort.

ing rails, indicated at 33, for supporting the closure in its open or partially open position. Theguide'rails 33 are spaced transversely of the car for' a distance corresponding tothe width of the closure I8 and at their outer portions are connected by'a bar 34, whichin addition to 'forming atie lfor the railsalso forms astop for limitin the opening movement of the closure.

` The voperating shaft 38 isv extended beyond the outer wall 32y of the frame, 'and is provided withfa suitables'ocket member, not shown, bymeans of which the shaft 38 may be rotated and the closure moved. For'retainingfthe olosurel 8in its closed position, a dog, not showngisV employed similar to that described in the lCampbell patent heretofore'mentionedg n Below the closure I8 theframe I4 is extended downwardly an appreciable distance to present a funnel-shaped outlet 34', terminating below the pinionsl 29.y A'roundthe outlet 3 4- is a'ledge 35 and below the ledge a groove 36to accommodate a removablechute, lnot shown. The I"foregoing structure is'well known inzthe art, as is illustrated by the Campbell Patent 2,072,292, described above. My invention is directed tothe following improvement which is used in combination with the yforegoing structure vand nds therein a suitable environment, f In my improved structure, the forward edge of thelclosure I8 is provided with a plurality of plow 'means indicated generally at 3'8. Preferably three of the plow means 38 are employed, one adjacent to'each of the side edges"3'l-'-3I"of the closure- I8,`and one disposed'cent'r'ally therebetween (Figure 3). All of the plow means 38 are alike, and only lone will bedes'cribed in detail, similar Ar'eie'renc'e'-characters employed for like parts of each. Y r l Each'plow'g38 comprises a"'cas'ting" having an elongated base 38 adapted to besupportedupon 4the inclined traiiing edge 21 ofithe'closure' I8. Adjacent tothe ends of therese 39' there" are Inperaticn, and assuming the closure I8 to be in closed position, and the lading in the hopper to be resting thereon, in compacted form, with a decided tendency to bridge` from side to side of the hopper adjacent to the closure, and to fail to how even when `the discharge of the hopper is open, a suitablel tool is employed for rotating the shaft 30, which through movement of the pinionsv 29, and engagement of the pinions 28 with the teeth 28 on the bottom ofthe closure I8, movesvthe closure i8 in a direction to open the dischargefopening of the hopper. At the inception of the opening'movement of the closure I8, the'plow'rneans 38 on the trailing vedge flow into the lading, the forward wedge-shaped edges 46 cutting into and loosening the lading, and the curved wings 47 not only loosening and spreading 'the lading, but by reason of their curved hoop-like formation pulling the lading downwardly in the hopper, and in their travel, breaking up compacting, bridging, or tendency to bridge, of the lading, throughout all portions thereof above the closure, thereby insuring free iiow of the lading. It will benoted thatthe plow means 38 are moved, when the closure i8 is opened, from av position beyond the left hand edge of the discharge opening' or funnel shaped outlet 34 to a position beyond its other or opposite side. This insures that all the lading across this discharge opening will be loosened. The plow means 38 also form inaccessible stops which will 'not pass through the slot 20 in the frame I4, and prevent unauthorized tampering with, or theft of, the

closure i8.

4elrierigiires 40 (Figures 4, 6 and '7) 'through vwhich are` extended the Shanks of"headed machine screws" 4I." The vShanks of thescrewsJIf` are threaded into apertures in the'inclined,trailing edge portion '.21 and terminate substantiallylu'sh -with'gtheunder side of the edge 2T." lExtending transversely of thebase and 'integrally formed therewith, is ari'upstanding blade 42 which is slightly tiltedy laterallyof the base 39 and characterized by curved contours' forming a concave leading edge 43, anda convex trailing edge 44', the edges 43 and 44conver`g'ing to form a relatively sharp point 45,and'lbgethervprovide a generally hook-like formation. 'fireblade 4,2

Whilel have herein disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that said embodiment may be variously changed and modied without departing from the spirit of the invention, and accordingly it will -be' understood that the said" invention is" not' limited to 4my particular disclosure,'but includes anyfchanges or modifications whichA come within thescopeiof the appended claims.

l'. In a railway ca r, thecombinationwith a discharge hopper; of 1a substantially 'at closure cooperating with said hopper; means for vshift'- ing'said closurefedgewise in an 'opening' direction; plow meanscarr'ed along the free edge 'of said closure, said" plow means including a cutting'edge extending substantially at right angles to said closure, adapted to enter lading carried within said'hopper," and 'wings' at the outer end ofsad plow means and spaced from, and extending at an angle inclined with reference to said closure and emerging toward the freeedge of said closure.

2. An article of manufacture, a., ploi'i'v` fo'rposi- Ialong theleading Vedge 43 is sharpened orl'laterally v5 i',ioningcn the closure memberof a, railway car hopper or the like to loosen lading therein comprising a member having a blade portion dened by a leading edge and a trailing edge converging to form a pointed portion, said blade portion having laterally extending wings at its outer end the forward edges of which are angularly disposed toward said leading edge.

3. An article of manufacture, a plow for positiom'ng on the closure member of a railway car hopper or the like to loosen lading therein comprising a member having a blade portion defined by a, leading edge and a trailing edge converging to form a pointed portion, said blade portion having laterally extending wings at its outer end the rear surfaces of which extend t0 and merge With the surface of said trailing edge.

4. An article of manufacture, a plow for positioning on the closure member of a railway car hopper or the like to loosen lading therein comprising a member having a base and an upstanding blade portion defined by a leading edge and a trailing edge converging to form a pointed portion, said blade portion having laterally extending wings at its outer end the forward edges of which are angularly disposed toward said leading edge and the rear surfaces of which extend to and merge with the surface of said trailing edge.

HARRY A. WITI-IAIL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNTTED STATES PATENTS 

